Arcata opens electric car charging station

Starting today, electric car drivers looking for some extra juice while away from home will be able to make a stop at the Arcata electric car charging station for a free pick-me-up.

"People that live in Eureka and drive to Arcata can have dinner at a restaurant or shop at the farmer's market while getting a charge," said Kevin Johnson, acting director of the Humboldt Electric Vehicle Association, or HEVA. "It's convenient."

The station's grand opening is today accompanied by an electric car and alternative transportation parade around the Plaza after the ribbon cutting. HEVA proposed the idea to the city of Arcata as an aid to the city's goals of green house gas reduction.

"Transportation is the hardest nut to crack," said Beckie Menten, the city's energy program specialist. "So whatever we can do to encourage alternative transportation methods is high on our list."

The Arcata City Council voted to offer the service free of charge for one year as a pilot program. Menten said she predicts minimal costs to the city, since other cities who have free charge stations have reported that the costs are virtually nonexistent.

Menten said she hopes that in five years or so, the city will be able to make the station self-sustainable by installing solar panels.

The obstacle most cities run into with charging stations is vandalism, not the cost of energy, Menten said. To discourage vandalism, the city has installed a combination lock on the system. Users will have to sign a liability wavier from the environmental services office to receive the combination. An officer will also be asked to patrol the area more frequently, Menten said.

The station provides two different outlets for cars, 110 volts, which is what regular household appliances are plugged into, and 220 volts, which is what a larger appliance, like a dryer, might use. Only electric vehicles charging will be able to park in the spot and there's a four-hour limit.

"Having a four hour charge is like a courtesy that the city is giving to people," Johnson said, adding that it gives about a 20 to 30 percent mileage gain.

"It's nice to have that little extra boost," Johnson said. The electric cars that HEVA members own range between 30-50 miles on a charge, which is just enough to get around town, he said. With fuel prices continuing to rise, Johnson is hopeful that more people will turn to electric vehicles.

"With gas prices soaring, it makes electric vehicles a quarter of the costs to operate," he said.